Life on The Line
by bookwriter9718
Summary: When Rio shows up injured, Beth decides to take it upon herself to care for him. But what happens when his enemies find out where he's hiding? Will Beth, Annie and Ruby be able to hold them off or will an injured Rio need to step in?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own any of these characters. This isn't based off of any episode, just a fanfic :)**

Chapter 1

"Wait...so are we done? I thought this was going to be a six month thing?" Annie questioned, grabbing her sister's attention.

Beth sighed, "I don't know, I haven't talked to him. All we know is, he hasn't showed up to any meeting and we haven't received new cash."

"This sucks."

Ruby pursed her lips, "Do you think the FBI got to him? He is a very wanted guy."

"No...it would have been all over the news," Betha answered.

"Well, then...I guess we just get back to our normal lives. Suffering...being desperate for money...not almost getting ourselves killed..." Annie sighed dramatically, causing Betha and Ruby to roll their eyes.

Ruby's eyes darkened with sorrow, she knew what this meant. This meant her and Stan wouldn't have the money for their daughter's surgery, they were going to lose their baby girl. She released a breath, maybe it was better this way. She wouldn't have to worry about some gang murdering her and leaving her husband and children alone.

Beth eyed her partners, her heart breaking for them. She knew what was at steak, her sister could lose her daughter and her best friend could lose her daughter. And she could lose her house, there was no help money wise from Dean. Hell, if he even offered to help she would most likely refuse, she didn't want him having another chance and running her life after ruining it.

"Maybe we could tr-

Annie was cut off when a loud thud sounded from Beth's upstairs, causing all three women to look at the ceiling. Glancing at each other, they slowly began creeping towards the stairs. Beth could barely hear anything above the sound of her own heart pounding. The adrenaline caused her hands to shake as she made her way towards the upstairs hallway, with thousands of thoughts running through her mind.

"Beth..." Annie murmured, her own fear swirling through her voice.

Beth motioned for them to be quiet, none of them knew what or who could be in her house. The last time they heard a loud noise and went upstairs, she was face to face with a gun and a very, confused gangster. As she walked down the hall, her eyes immediately caught the blood stains on her carpet. They led from her daughter's bedroom to her's, causing her to freeze.

"Who the hell.." Annie gasped.

Ruby swallowed her fear as she glanced at Beth, "Another gangster?"

Beth shrugged, she could only hope that this time, she wouldn't have a gun pointed at her face. Or else, she was going to point one at Rio.

 _"Be honest with yourself, Beth, you don't have the guts to point one at him,"_ she thought to herself. She hasn't grown that confident in herself yet, she may be able to threaten him to words, but not with a gun. Not yet. But with the path she was heading down, she wouldn't be surprised if she did one of these days.

She continued towards her bedroom when she heard a low groan, causing her to move a little quicker. As she rounded the corner into her room, there no one but more blood. This time, the spots were larger, seeming as if they had fallen before dragging themselves towards her bathroom. Silently, she opened the door to her bathroom and froze, her eyes widening. Behind her, Annie and Ruby also stopped from shock.

Lying on her ground, in a small pool of blood was Rio. His skin was paler than usual and coated in a thin sheet of sweat, his hand was clutching his stomach, covered in blood. Snapping out of her shock, she knelt beside the gang leader.

"Rio?" She said softly, shaking him ever so slightly.

His eyes fluttered open, "Hello sweetheart."

He winced and groaned, his breathing becoming faster as he attempted to fight the sharp pain going through him. Beth frowned and looked up at her friends, "We can't take him to a hospital."

Annie nodded, "We know...does he have anyone who could help him? I mean, somebody had to have stitched up that last guy."

"V-viper," Rio coughed out.

Beth frowned, "Who?"

"Great, another with a name related to snakes," Ruby mumbled.

Annie raised an eyebrow, "Do you guys have some obsession with snakes?"

"Guys, now is not the time," Beth warned.

"Right..."

Rio coughed up blood as he tried sitting up, "H-he's our d-doctor you could say."

Beth sighed, "Does he have any medical training?"

"Y-yeah."

"For some reason I feel like his only medical training is stitching up you guys," Annie spoke.

Rio wanted to glare at the irritating woman, but he could barely muster up the energy to speak. His vision began to blur as he felt somebody gently lifting him up. The scent of Beth's perfume engulfed him, causing him to relax a little. He had no idea what it was about this woman that had him curious about her, but it was starting to scare him. He thought of what had happened to any girl he seemed interested to in the past, somebody was always out to hurt them. Then again, there was a fire in this woman. One that pulled him in, each time he saw her.

"Think you can walk a little more? Annie, put towels on my bed and Ruby help me," Beth ordered.

Annie frowned, "Towels?"

"I want to try to save my mattress this time."

"Viper...is it?" Beth sounded as the man gently closed the door to her bedroom.

He looked up, "Yeah, don't worry, I'm not like the rest of em. I mean...I have killed people, but that's not the point."

"I see...um...how is he?"

Viper frowned, "He's going to be in a lot of pain until I get my hands on more pain meds. But I need to be careful, cause he used to be an addict. Other than that, he should be fine but needs to rest up."

Beth wasn't surprised by the news of Rio being an addict, she knew there had to be a dark past for the guy. She couldn't think of it being logical that somebody would wake up and decide they want to take over a gang. Something had to drive him down that path, for her it was money. Maybe it was the same for him.

"Do you have medical training?"

Beth groaned at the sound of her sister's voice, "Annie..."

"What? I'm concerned for our gangster friend."

"Rio, his name is Rio."

"I like the sound of gangster friend better."

Viper chuckled, "Yes, I went to medical school."

"Wow...then why are you...?" Annie trailed off.

"In a gang? I was born into it...just like Rio. Except, I had a decent childhood. My parents may have been part of the gang, but they still raised me to strive for my dreams. Just because someone is in a gang, doesn't mean they once dreamed of becoming someone better," he said softly.

Beth nodded, "What about Rio?"

"That kid didn't have it easy, but that's not my thing to tell ya. I'll be back tomorrow to check in on him."

Beth nodded as she glanced at her bedroom door, "You can stay here if you want."

Annie tilted her head, "Where are the kids?"

"With Dean, they're staying over there tonight."

"Are you going to let them be home with...gangster dude in there?"

"I have to, I mean, they were here with that other kid. I just need to keep them out of my room."

"And maybe stay home all day and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Beth sighed, "What did we get ourselves into?"

"You mean, what did _you_ get us into? But it'll be fine, I'll stay here. I'll make sure they stay away from your room."

"Thank you."

Annie nodded before stretching, "Plus...Sadie is staying with her dad this week."

"And you're too lonely at your place?" Beth teased.

"Ha. Ha. No...I'm fine. I just think you'll need help with a gang leader and kids."

Beth nodded, her sister had a point. As Annie went downstairs to get a 'drink', she decided to check on Rio. She didn't know what was pulling her towards him all the time, she had never felt this way for Dean, but she liked it. Though, she knew nothing would ever happen between them. She was in her thirties while he had to be in his late twenties, at the least.

When she walked in, her heart ached at the vulnerable state he was in. Viper had managed to get an oxygen tank in her room to help Rio breathe while he healed, he also had an iv and heart monitor hooked up to him. She wasn't going to question it though, despite wondering why that kid didn't have these. She fought the urge to try and comfort him as he groaned in pain, she knew it would be idiotic to try and touch him. She quickly grabbed her pajamas before turning the light off and cracking the door shut.

 **A/N: What do you think so far?**

 **And you guys have seen the finale? What if Beth turns the gun on herself? You think she would do something like that? Personally, I hope she turns it towards Dean. He's disgusting.**


	2. Chapter 2

"You sure you'll be fine while I drop the kids off?" Beth asked a nonchalant Annie.

Her younger sister grinned as she brushed her off, "Don't worry! Gangster friend up there isn't even awake yet."

"This is Rio we're talking about, the guy always figures out a way to sneak off or just appear."

"He's injured, Beth. Besides, you'll be gone for what? Twenty minutes?"

"Fine, I guess I'm being over protective...I just don't want you getting hurt or him running out of the house, partially dead."

"Wait...do I need to help him use the bathroom?"

Beth rolled her eyes, "I'm sure he'll be able to handle that much."

"Whew, I mean...he's nice eye candy, so couldn't be awful-

"Annie."

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you jealous."

Beth shook her head in amusement before rushing the kids out, ignoring their questions of the man in her bedroom.

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"Annie, I'm ba-what the hell?"

She stared, wide eyed at Viper and Annie as they carried Rio upstairs. Annie coughed nervously, "Our gangster friend here seems to always have tricks up his sleeve."

"Ah, that's Rio for ya. He never wants to stay in one place for too long, ya know there's men after him," Viper explained as he carefully adjusted Rio.

Beth stumbled over her words, but chose not to speak as she figured out a way to help them. Thousands of thoughts were going through her head, like how he took the IV out, why he can't just let himself heal, what she had gotten herself into, something along those lines. They gently laid him down, ignoring his rambling as he shook his head. Beth quickly grabbed a cool cloth and dabbed at his forehead, trying to get some of the sweat off of him.

"Listen, I don't offer this to anybody and gangs normally don't work like this...but I can stay here until he's better. I can also be a personal body guard, it may be safer to have somebody else here to defend you guys. Especially with Rio being injured like he is," Viper offered, giving them women a stern look.

Beth frowned, "But wouldn't others figure out where you're at?"

"Honey, the other gang already knows he's here. I spotted one of their men on my way here, as soon as he saw me, he left. Rio cannot leave. Usually, we can handle gunshot wounds and such, but...this one was deeper. I'm not even sure if there's internal bleeding. That's why this time, I got my hands on all of these machines."

"We can't sneak him into a hospital?" Annie asked.

Viper shook his head, "A hospital isn't going to stop those men from trying to sneak in and finish the job. We don't know who they are, we've never seen them before. Rio handles other gangs without a problem, but this gang seems determined to claim his territory. And Rio is wanted still by the police, I managed to get him out with the help of Cisco the last time. Sorry about that Beth."

"Whoa...you're the reason my bank account went to zero?" Beth snapped.

Viper shrugged, "Rio's suggestion."

"Of course."

"Okay, so hospital a no go," Annie whispered.

"Rio trusts me to lead the gang while he's out, so I've got our men working hard. They're also patrolling the neighborhood, I'm not sure how Rio would handle this part, but if I allow someone to hurt Beth, he'll have my head."

Beth furrowed her eyebrows as Annie gave her the 'look', causing Beth to glare at her. Viper found the exchange amusing, but he quickly turned his focus back to Rio. He frowned at the redness and swelling around his wound, dread nipping at his stomach. Releasing a breath, he turned back to the women.

"I also need to watch over him more than just visiting for five minutes. There's an infection setting in, I have the medicine for it. But anything could happen over the night. I'm not letting him die, he's survived being jumped, car crashes, gun shot wounds, stab wounds, drugs...he's family."

Annie frowned, "Are gangs normally like this? I thought once someone is shot they...kick them to the curb."

"No. If someone is shot, we stitch them up somehow and find a safe place for them. If they snitched or betrayed us, then we handle them. We try not to get family involved, such as kids but...sometimes, we can't stop it. Other gangs find out about a wife or husband, a kid, and so on. They try to use them to get what they want, like taking over somebody else's territory. Gang wars are constant."

Beth glanced at Rio to see his eyes opening slightly, but it was obvious he wasn't focused on anything. Viper immediately caught on and was at Rio's side, softly shaking him.

"Hey, Ri, you good man?" He asked quietly.

Rio furrowed his eyebrows, "Don't call me Ri."

"I needed to get a reaction outta ya."

Rio tried shoving Viper away, however, his body seemed to give out on him as he collapsed back into a ball. Viper released a breath, concern evident in his eyes as he told Rio to lay flat. Once Rio was in a comfortable position that wouldn't risk tearing his stitches open, Viper decided it was best to let him get more rest. He didn't have the energy for one of Rio's moods and Rio certainly didn't need to get himself all worked up. Ushering the women from the master bedroom, he began forming a plan.

He knew gangs didn't normally play body guards, but he also knew that the others have figured out where Rio was being kept. Rio would kill him, literally, if he allowed one of those men to get a hold of Beth. He shook his head a little, Rio had never been into the white, housewife type of women, but Beth was different. He couldn't deny the woman was absolutely stunning, why her ex cheated was beyond all of them. She had a fire within her, one that reminded him of a young Rio. Always hungry for more. Pushing the memories from his mind, he quickly dialed Cisco's number, trying to form a plan. Keeping Beth and most importantly, Rio, safe were his main priorities. Continuing the business and earning their money didn't seem as deserving of attention right now.

"Yo, what up?" Cisco answered, his voice losing the toughness as worry seeped through his words.

Viper sighed, "He's okay, right now. I'm almost hundred percent sure there's an infection setting in though. I had a feeling this would happen, that bullet didn't seem like a typical, new bullet."

"What you saying? It was rusted and old? Would a gun even shoot an old bullet?" Cisco demanded.

"I dunno, I'm no gun expert. But I can easily get my hands on some medicine for him. What we need to do is keep watch over this house. I convinced Beth to have her idiot ex take care of the kids until we get this figured out. She told him she's going away for two weeks."

"After those two weeks?"

"We'll have children added to this mess."

"Fuck man...children are always the first target. Especially since they know who Beth is to Rio."

"How? Rio was never open with it, you and me can just read him well."

He could hear Cisco mumble colorful words, already picturing his friend rubbing his face from frustration. "Gunner found out, heard Rio arguing with us I guess. We shouldn't have brought it up."

"Wait...Gunner told that gang?"

"Si. Don't worry though, I handled him. He won't be a problem anymore."

"What about Sarah? She's pregnant."

"Eh, she's better off without the fucker anyway. Ya know he was a drunk."

Viper nodded, "We're probably better off without him too. I'll tell Rio once he's better."

"Mhm. Anyways, I got some of our men patrolling the neighborhood. Jigsaw will sit a little far to keep watch during the night."

"Good. I'm staying in the house until Rio is good and this blows over."

"Once Rio is back on his feet, I'm sure he'll take care of this issue."

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Beth silently finished cleaning the dishes as Viper checked on Rio and Annie made herself a place in Emma's bedroom. Since Sadie was in Florida with her dad, Beth decided it would be a good idea if Annie stayed with her. She knew the gang couldn't risk watching over two places at once, especially since this wasn't how gangs normally worked. Then again, there wasn't anything stereotypical about Rio's gang, even Rio himself. A gang leader wouldn't risk letting someone out of the business and not worry about them ratting them out to someone. She was a prime example.

"He's all settled for the night."

She was yanked from her thoughts as Viper stepped into the kitchen, his eyes dull from tiredness. Beth offered a small smile, "How is he?"

"He'll be better once I get rid of this infection. I'll have the medicine by tomorrow, for now I'm just cleaning the wound. Don't be alarmed when you see him tied down, can't risk him ripping that IV out again."

"Tied down?"

"Yeah, Rio has always been a stubborn guy. He was handcuffed to the hospital bed when he was younger. He hates needles."

"So that's his biggest weakness? Needles?"

"Yup."

Beth chuckled a little, "So, in order to make him listen I just need to threaten him with a flu shot?"

Viper couldn't help but laugh a little, he needed the humor anyways. "Nah, it's not that easy, hun."

"What about this whole rival gang?"

"We're handling it."

"I'm guessing if I ask further, you won't answer me."

"Nope."

Beth raised an eyebrow, amused by Viper. While he was taller and tougher looking than Rio, he wasn't as intimidating. Maybe it's because he normally in a better mood, Rio is usually grumpy for whatever reason. Once the last dish was away, she quickly cleaned out the sink and wiped down the countertops.

"Did you want to sleep in the bedroom with him? I have an air mattress," she questioned.

Viper shook his head, "Nah, he should be fine. Plus, he tends to snore and I can't sleep with that bullshit."

Beth laughed, "The couch is a pullout couch, the mattress is pretty comfortable. I have a folded up, foam mattress cover in the closet, along with the sheets. I'll grab them for you."

"Thank you."

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"So...he snores? Are they manly snores or girly?" Annie asked, nursing her whiskey.

Beth shook her head as Viper burst out laughing, "Eh, they're pretty girly. Don't tell him I said that though."

"Oh, I am so holding this over your head."

"Blackmailing a gangster, you got balls kid."

Annie smiled proudly, "Why thank you, I've always been the opposite of goody two shoes kiss ass over here."

"I am not a kiss ass or a goody two shoes," Beth retorted.

Annie snorted, "Yeah, sure. Always had the perfect grades, got the jock of the school, prom queen, perfect housewife..."

"Okay, okay...maybe I'm not the most exciting person..."

"Well, I mean, now you are. You robbed a grocery store, we're practically part of a gang now, you're slowly getting to be cooler."

Viper smirked, "She's still an innocent though. She doesn't even understand what flip your game means."

"Hey, I do now."

Annie and Viper laughed as Beth flipped them both off, taking another swig of her wine.

 **A/N: Hey ya'll! What ya think?**


End file.
